Racial Discrimination In 'To Kill A Mockingbird'

We all know about it. We have all heard about it. But we don’t often think about it happening in our country. We think we are exempt from it. What is it? You may ask what’s so important for me to talk about it. Well it’s Racial Discrimination. I’m here to tell you that you aren’t exempt from it. It happens all around the world even in little New Zealand and not just in America or England but here as well.

Racial discrimination happens to all of us. We don’t think that it happens in ‘our’ town but it does. We go “not me, I treat everyone as equal, I don’t discriminate against anyone”. Do you know racial discrimination is defined as ‘views, practices and actions reflecting the belief that humanity is divided into distinct biological groups called races and that members of these different races show attributes which can make them less desirable/more desirable/inferior or superior.

People might think that Chinese people are less desirable because they have slantie eyes or that blond haired, blue eyed people are more desirable. Or it could be that people think white people are superior to black.

This is racial discrimination for you because the opposite would be to treat all people
We see through the character of Tom Robinson the injustice of racism first hand.

Tom Robinson is a victim and we see how he is convicted and charged with the rape of Mayelle Ewell despite the lack of evidence the Jury in town is reluctant to take the word of a ‘black man’ over two untruthful white accusers. We see how Atticus, the lawyer defending Tom, tries to get the Jury to look past the race and stereotype of the accused being ‘black’ and to serve the justice that is needed. The Jury had in their minds a stereo type that all ‘Negros lied and cheated because of the colour of their skin and therefore can’t be trusted. This is racial